Overpromise and Underdeliver

Introduction

How many of you have made a promise to God that you couldn’t keep?

If you’ve been confused and had doubts and made promises you couldn’t keep. If your testimony is just up and to the right…well you are in really really good company.

Today we are going to look at the testimony of the apostle Peter. And the testimony of Peter makes me feel so much better about my own discipleship. One of the evidences that the Bible is historical and accurate is that we even have Peter’s testimony in it. If you’re one of the leaders of the early church and one of the people that walked closest with Jesus during His 3 year earthly ministry…why would you write about all of your failures?

Tell, briefly, a few of Peter’s failures and successes:

Peter dropping everything and following Jesus

Peter walking on water

Peter the first apostle to proclaim Jesus as the Christ

Peter being called “rock” by Jesus

Peter putting his foot in his mouth at the mount of transfiguration

Peter promising that Jesus wouldn’t actually die and Jesus calling him Satan

Peter not allowing Jesus to wash his feet

Peter promising he wouldn’t leave Jesus

Peter cutting the ear off of the guard arresting Jesus

Peter denying Jesus 3 times (this is the lead up to our text)

Here’s what I know and is our BIG TAKEAWAY from tonight: Jesus is in the business of restoring people.

READ John 21:1-3

John 21:1–3 ESV

After this Jesus revealed himself again to the disciples by the Sea of Tiberias, and he revealed himself in this way. Simon Peter, Thomas (called the Twin), Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of his disciples were together. Simon Peter said to them, “I am going fishing.” They said to him, “We will go with you.” They went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing.

“I am going fishing” - I am going back to my previous way of life. Here’s what he is saying: Jesus is done with me. I have screwed up. I am returning to what I used to do and what my life used to be. He may have a plan for you guys but he is done with me. He still believes that his activity determines his identity.

We as humans tend to hit the default settings on our lives when we screw things up and we think that we have let God down.

The Bible says that this is love, not that we loved God but that God loved us so much that he sent his Son to be the PROPITIATION for our sin.

Propitiation means: A payment that satisfies.

If Jesus is the payment that fully satisfies for the law and justice and holiness in God then God can’t be dissatisfied in you.

READ John 21:4-6

John 21:4–6 ESV

Just as day was breaking, Jesus stood on the shore; yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to them, “Children, do you have any fish?” They answered him, “No.” He said to them, “Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some.” So they cast it, and now they were not able to haul it in, because of the quantity of fish.

For those of you that have a tendency to run back to your old way of life, you’re going to get exactly what the fisherman got there…you’re going to get nothing.

Why was Jesus asking if they had caught any fish? Didn’t he know that they hadn’t caught anything? He’s asking because he wants them to deal with the situation that they had gotten themselves into.

Any time you begin to feel the conviction of the Holy Spirit in your life, please understand that is not condemnation. He’s not mad that they didn’t catch any fish, but a warm invitation to return to him. This is why the Scripture says that it’s the kindness of God that leads us to repentance.

V. 6: “So they cast it” - They do what Jesus tells them to do…even when it doesn’t make any sense. Every time that we do what God tells us to do we are moving towards Jesus. The blessing is found in the obedience.

Read John 21:7-14

John 21:7–14 ESV

That disciple whom Jesus loved therefore said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his outer garment, for he was stripped for work, and threw himself into the sea. The other disciples came in the boat, dragging the net full of fish, for they were not far from the land, but about a hundred yards off. When they got out on land, they saw a charcoal fire in place, with fish laid out on it, and bread. Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish that you have just caught.” So Simon Peter went aboard and hauled the net ashore, full of large fish, 153 of them. And although there were so many, the net was not torn. Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast.” Now none of the disciples dared ask him, “Who are you?” They knew it was the Lord. Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them, and so with the fish. This was now the third time that Jesus was revealed to the disciples after he was raised from the dead.

v. 9: A charcoal fire…Jesus is recreating the same moment and smell of when Peter denied even knowing who Jesus was and being associated with Him.

Read John 21:15-19

John 21:15–19 ESV

When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Feed my lambs.” He said to him a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Tend my sheep.” He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time, “Do you love me?” and he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep. Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were young, you used to dress yourself and walk wherever you wanted, but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will dress you and carry you where you do not want to go.” (This he said to show by what kind of death he was to glorify God.) And after saying this he said to him, “Follow me.”

“Do you love me more than these things?”- The boats, and the nets, these fishes, this old way of life. When I called you I called you away from these things, but you have a tendency to run back to these things.

“Feed my lambs”- In our churches we would fire Peter or put him on a growth plan, and Jesus puts him in charge. God does His best work with the failures, the B team, the ones that just can’t get it right. He puts him in charge of those that he cares most about: THE PEOPLE HE CAME TO SEEK AND TO SAVE ON THIS EARTH AND REDEEM AND RESTORED.

After Jesus asks three times Peter realizes what’s going on. He is grieved and says I get what you’re doing. We are sitting around a charcoal fire just like when I denied you three times. There is a purpose here.

Peter doesn’t realize it but there is a wound there. Jesus didn’t bring this up to hurt Peter but to heal Peter. (Tell the story of the hook I got stuck in my arm while fishing.) When I went to the urgent care the Dr. didn’t see the fishing lure stuck in my arm and check out my foot! The dr. grabbed my arm. And when you see the dr. grabbing to your arm you know that the dr. isn’t grabbing it to hurt but to help. That’s what Jesus is doing here. When you feel the Spirit of God convicting you to draw you closer to himself, you understand that the Savior, the Great Physician wants to get his hands on that wound (even self-inflicted wounds) so that he can heal you that place that’s currently hurt.

What is Jesus saying? He is saying He isn’t done with Peter because Peter screwed up. He new who you were when He called you to follow me. He shed His blood for you on the cross. And when He said it is finished it counted for you. Your past doesn’t define who you are or determine the future of who you will be. You may think you’re a failure but you’re not a failure because I’m not done with you. His grace is greater than any of our failures and any of our past mistakes and sins. That’s not freedom TO sin, that’s freedom FROM sin. You don’t have to do those things anymore because you’re not the person you used to be.

He is reinstating and restoring Peter. And he doesn’t give him a pep talk. Listen to what he says.

John 21:18–19 ESV

Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were young, you used to dress yourself and walk wherever you wanted, but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will dress you and carry you where you do not want to go.” (This he said to show by what kind of death he was to glorify God.) And after saying this he said to him, “Follow me.”

He is telling Peter it would be better for you to live a shorter life, and die a gruesome death and have me than to live a longer life and to have all that the world has to offer and to not have me.

The reason we follow Jesus isn’t because He makes our lives better, the reason we follow Jesus is because HE IS BETTER THAN LIFE ITSELF.

Remember one of the first things Jesus says to Peter when he meets him on the beach? FOLLOW ME. He’s giving him a holy do-over.

Land the Plane

Here’s where it breaks down. We need more than a do-over. We hear that God is a God of second chances. The problem with that is we will mess that one up too. We don’t just need a second chance we need a substitute. We don’t just need a do over, we need somebody to do for us what we can’t do for ourselves and we get credit for what they do. This is what Jesus is doing for Peter in this moment.

God uses our tests, trials, and even terrible decisions we make and turns them into a testimony for His glory.

Jesus didn’t wait for Peter to come back to Jerusalem and get his act together, He pursued him right where he is in Galilee and He is doing that for you right now. And when we close these services out, we can’t make you love Jesus. But we want you to encounter the grace of Jesus Christ. I want you to hear these words, even if you’ve been following Jesus for a while. “I know what you’ve done. I wasn’t surprised.” And because of His grace Jesus is saying “Follow me”